An Apple a Day Keeps Katie Gardner Away
by RascalJoy
Summary: What starts out as a normal day of plotting pranks for Travis Stoll quickly becomes deadly as he discovers it may not be the best thing to listen to his brother's 'great ideas,' especially when it involves pranking a certain daughter of Demeter.


**Hello, everyone! Here's a little one-shot that popped into my head last night that refused to let me go.**

**So, this is based off the famous 'Real Fact #816' on a Snapple cap as seen in the cover art. I, myself don't drink Snapple and have not seen this fact myself, but I've seen a pretty funny series of fanart for PJO that starts with the picture used in the cover art. Unfortunately, I don't know who drew it, but I DO know that it was reposted on Viria's tumblr account. Viria's art is AMAZING, so seriously, check her out!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Travis carefully took a heaping spoonful of a colorful powder, holding a funnel to the lip of a water balloon in his other hand. Slowly, carefully, he poured the powder down the funnel, the rubber sides bulging as it filled. He skillfully tied a knot in the neck of the small balloon, tossing it into a garbage bag full of other such balloons, each one filled with a different color powder.

He grinned wolfishly, rubbing his hands together gleefully. The Demeter cabin wouldn't know what hit them. And Katie. He grinned even wider, his eyes wandering to a bright green balloon resting on the table beside him. Katie was going to get it good.

Somebody burst through the door of the Hermes cabin's secret underground prank building room, panting heavily.

"Hey, Travis!"

Travis knew who it was without even having to look. "Where've you been, Connor?" he asked irritably. "You were supposed to help me fill the balloons."

Connor rounded the corner of the table into Travis's line of sight, his face flushed from running.

"I have an idea," he huffed.

Travis raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested. His younger brother came up with some of the craziest and best pranks Travis had ever had the pleasure of pulling off. Of course Travis still had better ideas than Connor, but it didn't hurt to listen to a second opinion once in awhile.

"What?" he asked eagerly.

Connor held up a hand for him to wait, sucking in air so fast, Travis was afraid he'd faint.

He wondered how far his brother had run. Hermes kids were quick and light on their feet—a built in survival skill that Travis had had to use on many occasions—and could run for hours on end with the right incentive. So where could he have run from that would wear him out so much?

Finally, Connor stood up straight, shaking his head to clear it. "I have the best idea ever," he announced.

"Well that's great," Travis said sarcastically, but what is it?"

However, Connor didn't seem eager to share. "I just came from the corner store three miles away," he said, having sensed his brother's unspoken question. "Ran the whole way."

"What's your idea?" Travis said impatiently.

Connor pulled a blood red apple from his pocket, placing it on the table with a flourish. "You throw this at Katie Gardner."

Travis stared at his brother, wondering if he'd finally lost his marbles. "And?" he said slowly. "What does it do?"

Connor shook his head. "Nothing."

Travis felt his eyebrow twitching up his forehead again. "Nothing?" he repeated.

The two brothers stared at each other, one's eyes alight in excitement, the other's dubious and confused.

"Connor," Travis said, as if speaking to a five-year-old, "what's the point of throwing an apple at Katie Gardner?"

Connor's eyes glinted with pure mischievousness. "I just read on a Snapple cap that throwing an apple at a girl in Ancient Greece was considered the worst insult ever."

Travis studied his brother. "So…"

"So we throw it at her," Connor concluded.

Travis considered this. It wasn't such a bad idea, he supposed. "I can put it inside the balloon I was going to chuck at her, I guess," he decided. "Give it a little extra punch."

"Oh no," Connor said, a little too quickly for Travis's liking. "You have to throw it at her by itself. Otherwise, it won't have the same effect."

Travis glanced suspiciously at his brother, trying to see if he was joking. But his brother's expression was completely earnest and innocent. And that's what scared him. "Fine," he sighed.

Connor's eager gaze flickered with something else—maybe cruelty—but it was gone too quickly for him to place.

"Let's go hit a girl," Connor said gleefully.

* * *

Travis stood behind a tree overlooking the gardens, a growing sense of uneasiness gnawing at his chest.

Why had Connor been so insistent about throwing an apple at Katie Gardner? Why did _he_ have to do it? Why was his brother at a corner store in the first place?

So many questions span through his mind, he was beginning to feel dizzy.

He didn't trust his brother. Seriously, who would? And the idea that Connor might be duping him was almost too much for him to bear.

Travis jumped slightly as the Celestial bronze walkie-talkie (specially designed by Beckendorf to not attract monsters) buzzed with static, his brother's voice crackling to life: "Attention, Mr. Apple. Target is in approach. Repeat, target is on approach."

Travis scowled at the receiver. "Why am I Mr. Apple?"

"Because you're throwing the apple," Connor said like it should be obvious. "Now respond properly."

Travis rolled his eyes in annoyance, but responded in kind. "Roger that, Mr. Chicken."

He heard Connor draw breath to retort, but just then he saw Katie Gardner walking into the garden, flanked by two of her younger half sisters.

"Shut up, she's here," he hissed into the mic, turning the device off and slipping it into his back pocket.

Katie knelt down in the dirt, cupping a handful of soil in her hands. She held it up for the other two to see. "See this soil?" she said.

Travis barely concealed a snort of laughter. Of _course_ they could see the soil. It was right in front of their pudgy little faces.

"It's perfectly moist," Katie continued, fingering the dirt. "Not too wet, not too dry. This is the kind of dirt you want to look for when you begin planting."

The two younglings nodded, looking in awe at the soil in Katie's hand.

Travis rolled his eyes. Demeter's kids were so dense. His grip tightened around the apple in his hand. He would have to time his throw perfectly. He focused on his target, mentally calculating his throw. In a blur of motion, he stepped out from behind the tree, brought his arm back, and threw it with all his might. The second it left his hand, he knew his aim was true.

The apple flew forward like it had been shot from a cannon, landing with a nauseating _KONK! _on the back of Katie's head.

Katie immediately collapsed to the ground unmoving, her siblings screaming in terror.

A wave of guilt and worry washed over Travis, and before he knew it, he was jogging down the hillside until he stood next to Katie's inert form.

"Oh Styx," he cursed, kneeling in the dirt beside Katie.

He quickly checked her pulse, feeling an intense feeling of relief as it beat strongly against his fingers.

He whipped out his walkie-talkie, turned it on, and spoke into the speaker: "Connor, I need some nectar and ambrosia, pronto."

"R—ro—roger that," Connor gasped from the other end of the line, sounding like he was barely holding back laughter.

Before Travis could question him, the static turned off, revealing that Connor had turned his device off.

"Did you throw that apple at her, mister?" a young voice demanded.

Travis cursed silently. He had forgotten about Katie's siblings. He looked up to see the two of them staring at him in shock and horror, each with a fat little finger pointing at the apple that now lay on the ground.

"No," he lied.

"Yeah, you did," the one with curly brown locks insisted. "I saw you."

Travis rolled Katie onto her back, trying to appear unconcerned as he felt the nasty lump on the back of her head. "Okay, fine, you got me. What's it to you?"

The two glanced at each other, then looked at Travis solemnly.

"Do you like her?" asked the girl with straight blonde hair like Katie's.

Travis gaped at them. "Do I _what_?"

"Do you like her?" the blonde girl repeated.

"What do you think?" Travis practically yelled. "I just threw an apple at her!"

Then the two girls did something Travis didn't expect: they burst out into fits of giggles.

"What?" Travis demanded, starting to feel a little doubtful. "What's so funny?"

"N—nothing," the brown haired one stammered.

"I—would hate—to be you—when Katie wakes up," the blonde wheezed.

Just then, Connor jogged up, a canteen of nectar in his hand, a huge grin on his face, and what Travis could have sworn was a video camera peeking out of his back pocket. He tossed the canteen at Travis with hardly a glance at the gasping girls at his feet.

Travis quickly unscrewed the cap and poured some of the fluid into Katie's mouth.

Katie moaned slightly, color returning to her cheeks as she reached up and rubbed the back of her head. "What—what happened?" she groaned, her leaf green eyes fluttering open.

"I hit you on the head with an apple," Travis explained, slightly sheepish. "I think I threw a little too hard."

Katie sat bolt upright, turning to stare at Travis with wide eyes. "You did _what_?"

Now Travis felt really confused. "I threw an apple at you."

Katie reached up, and Travis thought she was reaching for the canteen. Instead, she slapped him across the face—hard.

He yelped in pain and surprise, falling back onto his butt and nursing his aching cheek. "What was that for?" he demanded.

Katie stood up, her face red with anger. "I can't believe you, Travis Stoll!" she cried. Then she turned and stomped out of the garden, flinging her gloves to the ground and reaching up to wipe at her eyes as she stormed away.

The two little girls quickly scrambled to their feet and darted after their counselor, their eyes still bright with unconcealed amusement.

Travis heard a snort behind him, and turned to see his brother's face completely red. "Do you think that was a little too—" he started to ask.

Then Connor burst into gales of laughter, doubling over as his entire body shook with the strain.

Travis looked on with confusion as his brother collapsed to the ground, tears running down his cheeks as he rocked back and forth, unable to control himself.

"What's going on here?"

Travis whirled around in surprise to see Annabeth standing behind him, a book under her arm and confusion on her face as she took in the sight of the two Stoll brothers, one laughing his head off, the other looking as confused as her.

"Oh," Travis said, shifting uncomfortably under her intense grey eyes. "I, um, threw an apple at Katie Gardner."

Annabeth's eyebrows shot up. "You did what, now?"

Travis sighed, and told her the whole story from Connor explaining the fact on the Snapple cap to Katie storming off without explanation.

The corners of Annabeth's mouth twitched as she unsuccessfully tried not to smile. "Travis," she said, laughter dancing in her voice. "Do you know what it means when you throw an apple at a girl in Ancient Greece?"

"It's the worst insult possible," Travis said guiltily. "Maybe I shouldn't have gone that far—" He was interrupted as a giggle burst out of Annabeth's mouth.

Annabeth? _Giggling? _That was _not_ a good sign.

"What?" he demanded, growing defensive. "I don't see how this is funny."

"Oh, Travis," Annabeth sighed, eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm afraid your brother made a mistake. When you throw an apple at a girl in Ancient Greece, it's considered a marriage proposal."

Connor, who had finally begun to calm down, began to laugh like a hyena once more, wheezing as he struggled to get enough air.

Travis only gaped at Annabeth, not quite comprehending what she had just said. A marriage proposal. He had just proposed to Katie Gardner.

"Oh…my…gods," he whispered.

"Great—job taking—care of—your fiancé," Connor laughed. "Real—touching."

White hot anger rose up inside of Travis. His chest heaving and his vision tinged red, he slowly turned to look at his brother, still chortling on the ground.

"Connor Stoll," he hissed.

Connor immediately stopped laughing, staring up at his brother with wide, innocent eyes. "Yeah, Travis?" he asked.

"Mud pit, thirty feet to your right," Annabeth called, heading over to sit down beside a tree. "The Demeter kids haven't cleared it up yet from last night's rain."

Travis grinned evilly.

Connor's eyes widened and he held up his hands in surrender. "Look, man, it was only a—ah!"

Travis hefted his brother into his arms—bridal style—and ran thirty feet to his right. He stopped just at the rim of the huge mud pit, turned to his side, and swung his brother back, releasing him on the forward swing.

Connor went flying out of Travis's arms, landing with a _SPLURG!_ in the four foot deep mud pit.

Travis slapped his hands together happily, watching as his brother slipped and slid as he struggled to keep his head above the sticky mud.

Finally, he caught his balance and was stuck neck deep in muck. He glanced at Travis pleadingly. "Aw, come on, bro. Help me out?"

Travis shook his head, evil smile still in place. "Nope."

He turned and sauntered away, ignoring his brother's cries behind him. When he reached the place where it had all started, he scooped up the apple and slipped it into his pocket, an idea poking around in the back of his mind that he couldn't quite place yet.

"Hey, Annabeth!" he called.

Annabeth looked up from her book, a knowing smile on her face.

"Thanks," he said honestly.

"Don't get used to it, Stoll," she said, looking back down at her book.

Travis scuffed his feet in the ground, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Uh—" he started.

"I'll talk to Katie," she said without looking up. "Now, shoo! Before I change my mind and dump you in the mud with your brother."

Travis nodded gratefully. "Thanks," he repeated. Then he turned and skipped out of the garden. After Annabeth talked to Katie, it would take a little while for her to cool down. Maybe he could use those powder balloons on Clarisse instead…

Suddenly, he ran into something warm and hard. "Ouch!" he cried, staggering backward and rubbing his forehead. He looked up and realized he had run into Percy Jackson. "Oh," he said, surprised. "Hi, Percy. What's up?"

Percy grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly as his sea green eyes glittered in the sunlight. "Nothing much." Then he sighed, the smile easing off his features as quickly as it had appeared. "Just trying to get everything back together after—you know."

Travis suddenly didn't feel so happy as he remembered the aptly named Battle of the Labyrinth about a week ago, the latest and most brutal battle with the Titan's army. And there was going to be a lot more where that came from very soon.

The two boys were silent for awhile, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Finally, Percy smiled again. "Hey, do you know where Annabeth is?"

Travis nodded, pointing back the way he'd come. "Reading a book over by the garden."

Percy nodded. "Thanks." He began to walk away, headed for the gardens.

Then the idea that had been flitting around in the back of Travis's head finally came to light.

"Hey, Percy!" he called.

Percy turned around, eyebrows raised in question.

Travis dug around in his pocket, pulling out a single blood red apple. He held it out to the son of Poseidon.

Percy looked at it warily.

"It's just a regular apple," Travis assured him. "I swear, on the river Styx, I did not rig it in any way."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Percy looked satisfied. He took the apple out of Travis's hand, examining it closely. "What's this for?" he asked curiously.

Travis barely managed to keep the grin off his face. "I want you to throw it at Annabeth."

* * *

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